Princess Reiki Update - Sassy Cat!

Reiki has been part of our family  for a little over 2 months now. She looked sassy today, so I decided to take her picture to show how great she is doing! Her eye has fully opened but she can't see out of it.
Her new thing, besides chasing poor Bailey dog, is to sit on the back of my computer chair when I write. Here she is on the chair, love the look on her beautiful face!

The 40 Things List - Update

Today I turned 40! Thank The Goddess, I made it! Below is my list that I made last year of all I wanted to do before this milestone birthday. I did ok. I didn't get it all done, I missed 13 things, but now I have a new list to accomplish for a new year! Coming soon "41 Things to do before 41!" 

I have crossed out the things I did get to do and hopefully soon, I will post some stories about the fun I had!

Do a girls only trip
    Buy a pair of cowboy boots
    Go to the rodeo
    Get a tattoo
    Go see Alex's graduation in Montana
    Have a garage sale and empty the garage
    Loss 10 lbs
    Go to Sanibel Island
    Run a 5K
    Grow a coffee plant
    Take a belly dancing class
    Go rafting or tubing
    Find 50 geo-caches
    Go back to College
    Read all of Shakespeare's plays - even the sad ones.
    Make my garden pretty, not just useful
    Loss 20 lbs
    Get a Reiki attunement level 1
    Watch the AFI's top 100 movies of all time
    Make a message in a bottle
    Go to a Sci Fi or Fantasy Convention
    Go see The Molly Roger Roller Girls
    Pay off the car
    Make mosaic stepping stones for my garden
    Visit Mt Dora
    Go see Classic Albums Live
    Play Texas Hold 'Em at a real casino
    Have a family photo taken
    Visit the Dali Museum  in St. Pete
    Go to another Renaissance Faire or Highland Games
    Finally watch "A Christmas Story" (LOL)
    Go to The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter
    Teach Jack to Drive
    Learn to play racquetball
    Save seeds from my garden to re-plant
    Practice at the range more
    Place a Geo-Cache
    Have foot reflexology done
    Write anything, a story, a blog, a novel...just write.
    Throw myself a Welcome to 40 Birthday party in June 2012

Princess Reiki Update!

I am a dog person, always have been, but this little beast has totally stolen my heart!  In the last 20 days she has started eating real food, both eyes are open, but it is unknown if she can see out of the left one) and is beginning to explore.

 

She is is doing so well. I have no doubt the Universe put "Reiki" in my path that day at work for a reason. She would not have survived another two days the vet said, now she is running our house, and that includes the 75 lbs dog!

There's a sucker born every minute...

8:32 A.M. was my minute! I was at work, doing my usual patrol stuff, thinking about my diagnosis from three days ago...

The radio sends out a tone alert, house fire, lady still inside. I hit the lights and sirens and when I get there, all I see are CATS! Lots of them. Cages and cages and cages piled up outside on the grass, and the Fire guys are bringing more out! The home owner was a cat hoarder!

We get the home owner and all the cats and her dog out and safe. The fire is put out. I start to count the cats, 10, 15, 20, 30, 36!!! 33 older cats, 2 nine week old kittens and 1 kitten, way too small to be with out a Mama cat.

As I count them, I attempt to check  their health. I will be calling the county animal shelter to get them on the way and they like a heads up on health. They do not want to risk bringing infected animals into the main shelter. I call the shelter and two Officers arrive. The home owner decides to give all the cats to the shelter.

All the cats look ok, not great, but not too bad, all except the little one. It's not moving and from where I stand, it doesn't appear to be breathing either. I love all animals but I do not go all mushy about them. I can't at my job, I see lots of hurt and dead animals.

But this little non-moving ball of fur, makes my eyes fill with tears. Maybe I am feeling over sensitive due to my own health issues, maybe I am getting soft in my old age, or maybe I have been on scene, at this call,  in the Florida sun to long. Whatever the reason, I decide to try and send some Reiki energy to it. I took my Level I  in February and Level II,  last month. I have been using it on plants, people and everything in between for practice.

I walk over to the cage, stand behind a bush (can't let the Fire Guys see what I am up to) :-).  I take a deep breath, I thank the Universe for allowing me to be helpful and I write the Cho-Ku_Rei symbol in the air, three times and push it towards the little kitten. The kitten opens one eye and LOOKS at me! Damn! I feel like one of the wolves in "Twilight", I am bonded, this is now my kitten.

There are only a few issues, one being my beloved "Super Hubby" is allergic, and that fact that I cannot receive or gain ANYTHING from being on a work call. No free coffee, no discounts at lunch, no free kittens!

The Animal Control Officers start loading up all the cats. I go with them to the truck, when they take the little one. I ask what's going to happen and the officers says it is to little for them to care for and if they can't find a foster home, they will have to put down. My heart sinks.

I call my Sgt. and I ask if fostering an animal counts as a gain. I will be spending money and it would not technically be my kitten so she says it is okay! Next, I call "Super Hubby" and I explain the situation, and being the S.H. that he is, he says "well, if it is meant to be your cat, I guess you will have to bring it home".

The kitten goes to the shelter, I go back to work. I start second guessing how all this is going to work out.

On my lunch break, I go up to the shelter and see the kitten. It's a girl and she still looks pathetic. Scrawny, skinny and can only half way open one eye. I take her picture and send it home to S.H. and the kids.

I fill out the foster application and the shelter approves it. I keep looking at her and thinking, I will call her "Baby Ugly", poor thing is a mess.

I go back to work for another 6 hours and at shifts end, I am back at the shelter picking up the kitten.

Now we are home, and the family is all checking out the new house guest. S.H. has gotten a box ready with a blanket and gone out and gotten kitten milk and tiny bottles, so I can feed her. As I write this, she is in the box, not looking great but I have hope for this blessed Reiki baby.

I think instead of "Baby Ugly", I will give her a beautiful name that she can grow into. Princess Reiki Sohia. :-)

Coming All The Way Out!

Today is International Pagan Coming Out Day. I never had any intention of ever coming out to anyone, who does not already know. My Husband knows, my Mom knows, most of my friends (Hey MPP Chicas!) know. That is how it is and how I like it.

When asked by someone if they should come out, I always ask them, “Why”? It’s no ones business but your own. I never felt the need to stand up and tell anyone I was Catholic, when I was, why should this be different.

I always felt that as long as your significant other knew and was at least comfortable enough with it not to freak out, things were good. Why tempt fate, and all the ugliness that may show itself now that you are seen as “different”. I help run a great little pagan group called Moon Path Pagans, so I was not exactly “in the closet”. I never really thought of it as hiding...

But I was hiding. Afraid. Wondering what would the guys at work say, would my friend “Joy” still talk to me, would this put a wall up between me and those I love.

Today I am “Coming Out”.  All the way out! Why?

On Monday, I was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis. If you do not know what that is, don’t feel bad, neither did I. If you have heard of it, you may know, it is the disease that killed comedian Bernie Mack and NFL player Reggie White. The American Lung Association describes sarcoidosis as a disease characterized by the presence of areas of inflamed cells that can attack any organ of the body but is most frequently found in the lungs. I have it in just my lungs...for now.

To say that Monday was an eye opener of a day, is an understatement. I was happy to finally have an answer to why, I had not felt like myself since the beginning of the year. I was short of breath, and had chest pain behind my breast bone. I always tired, with a continuous cough. Sounds like a run of the mill pneumonia. Most pneumonia gets better with antibiotics and some time. Mine didn’t. A few tests later and now my life is different.

I may go into remission and be fine, or I may get worse. What does this have to do with coming out as a pagan? All I know, is the control, I once had over my life is no longer mine and I have things to do! There is no time to fear. I am Pagan. And I don’t have the time to argue about it. :-)

All in a days work - Hot Dog Guy

I was sitting in my favorite place to run radar this afternoon when I saw a strange thing whiz by me!

I called out over the radio, "Dispatch,  I will be out with a hot dog on a motorized scooter with no helmet".

Dead silence.... after a few seconds the dispatcher stutters out "Ten-Four, location?" I give the location and I know every officer in the general area is headed my way to see what I am doing.

This young man was kind enough to give me permission to take his photo for the blog. He works down the street at the local hot dog stand and he dresses up once in a while for Kid's Night.

Ancestor Altar

Since the death of  Deputy Pill, death in general has been on my mind. Her funeral was three days ago.

I have had an ancestor altar in my home since my Grand-Father passed away.  I thought I would share a picture of my altar and talk a bit about what an ancestor altar is and what it means to me.


My altar is a old side table that my wonderful Pepere, had by his favorite lazy boy chair until he passed in April 2009. On my altar, are pictures of him and my Memere, who passed almost a year to the day after him, in April 2010. Small urns of their ashes adorn my altar, as well as two silver horses. I choose to have horse symbol, because they raised horses for almost 50 years. There is a candle for each of them, that is lit on their birth days and the anniversary of their passing. I light the candles on April 1st and they stay lit until the end of the month. I use real ones when someone is home and flame-less battery powered tea lights when we can't be home. My Pepere’s old cowboy hat is there too.

My altar is in a corner of my dining room because that is the central gathering spot in my home. The altar is a permanent year round addition to my home but as we get closer to Samhaim, it becomes a place of focus and reflection. I add an offering bowl and put in food that my Grandparents enjoyed. I go to it daily and speak to them as if we are just chatting on the phone. I ask for guidance in the coming year and ask them to watch over my children as they did when they were alive.


On the night of Samhain, my family gathers for dinner and a ritual. We light the altar candles and we leave a chair open for the departed and I recite this prayer;


This is the night when the gateway between
our world and the spirit world is thinnest.
Tonight is a night to call out those who came before us.
Tonight we honor our ancestors.
Spirits of our ancestors, we call to you,
and we welcome you to join us for this night.
We know you watch over us always,
protecting us and guiding us,
and tonight we thank you.
We invite you to join us and share our meal.
(Theses lovely words were written By Patti Wigington)


Then we sit down to eat, making up a plate for the ancestors and talk about our favorite memories of  our departed loved ones.

 An ancestor altar is very personal.  I will be looking for a metal star to place on the altar, in memory of Dep. Pill. She was not a part of my biological family but she was a part of my law enforcement family. A friend of mine has placed photos and toys of a beloved pet who passed, on her altar. There is no right or wrong way to set one up. The only warning I have is to never place a photo of the living on your ancestor altar.